i cant reproduce the data for you. its internal. I tested it repeatedly. I
was very careful about the hint.

select /*+ index(<index_name>) */

>>> The thing above is not a valid hint

select /*+ index(<table> <index_name>) */

>>> The thing above might not be a valid hint>>> as the <table> might have been given an alias>>> If the table does not have an alias, then this>>> will be obeyed, unless some conditions relating>>> to null columns could make the indexed path>>> return the wrong path, or (prior to skip scans)>>> there was no optimizer mechanism for using>>> the index.

Tried it repeatedly. I've seen it before. Sorry, I cant show you the data,
etc... I could have swarn I read in the docs that hints are just directives
and oracle does not have to use them? I cant find it right now. Am I wrong?
I'm pretty sure I have seen that several times.

>>> There are some bugs relating to execution methods>>> that require some detailed examination of 10053>>> trace files to determine how Oracle pushed an>>> 'obvious' hint out of context. Apart from these,>>> and there are some 'feature-related' hints that>>> can only work if various init.ora parameters>>> are set ... and so on.>>>>>> You probably have read that hints are 'just'>>> directives (to me a directive is the same as>>> an order, by the way). I've seen it in a Metalink>>> note somewhere. You will have found numerous>>> articles which say that hints can be ignored.>>> But in recent versions I don't think I've been>>> presented with an example where a valid hint>>> was ignored.>>

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